This year has been an exciting and busy time for the project. In June, we announced an improved route in New Hampshire’s North Country that was developed in response to concerns about potential visual impacts and property rights. The new route is now located in a far less populated area of the North Country and more than 80 percent of the entire route will be built in existing rights-of-way or located underground.

As 2013 comes to a close, we would like to share some of this year’s other highlights:

Announced the creation of the North Country Jobs Creation Fund. This $7.5-million fund will be used to help boost economic growth beyond the 1,200 jobs Northern Pass will create during construction. This money will be administered locally and go to projects that people in the North Country know will help job seekers and businesses.

Hosted hundreds of people at our 16 open houses along the route, giving residents the chance to ask questions and review detailed maps, view simulations, and jobs and tax revenue information

Responded to thousands of inquiries from New Hampshire residents – via phone and e-mail on our Project Hotline

Posted key information about the project and regional energy issues, and provided regular updates through social media, like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Met face-to-face with residents and business owners along the route (roughly half of them north of the Notch), giving people a chance to ask project experts questions specific to their property

Gave presentations to Rotary Clubs and Chambers of Commerce across the state, going directly to business and community leaders to provide project updates, answer their questions and get their input

Held jobs meetings with workers and business owners across New Hampshire about the opportunities that will be available once construction begins

As we head into the new year, we will continue engaging with New Hampshire residents and those who live and work along the proposed route. We encourage those who have questions about the project, or who want to lend their support, to reach out through one of the many lines of communication we have set up. Call us 1-800-286-7305, email us, or check out our website.

Thanks to all who have supported Northern Pass – your efforts have helped make 2013 a very successful year!

A new issue of the Northern Pass Landowner Newsletter was distributed recently. This issue features an overview of our improved route, which was developed over the past two years in response to public feedback.

From the newsletter…

Over the past two years, the Northern Pass project team has been meeting with residents and officials to answer questions and listen to feedback about our proposed route for the 187-mile-long transmission line. Based on what we heard, we went back to the drawing board to design a route that responds to concerns about potential view impacts and property rights. We are now pleased to announce a new and better route.

As the New Year approaches, we are pleased to report that we have identified a new route in the North Country that we will submit to the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Commission in the future for consideration and review. We are in the process of finalizing this new proposal and will soon be prepared to announce its specific details. This proposal was created in consideration of concerns raised regarding potential view impacts and private property issues. In response to the feedback we received, we have spent the past year identifying routing options that would locate the line on land that we own or that has easements we have obtained from willing sellers, and positions the line in a manner that reduces potential view shed impacts as much as possible.

We also recognize that while we are communicating with local citizens, stakeholders and public officials across New Hampshire, there is still much that can be done. We believe this communication and dialogue is critical to the ultimate success of the new route and the project overall and felt it was necessary to take some additional time to continue these efforts before we publicly announce the new routing proposal.

Some notable project improvements thus far include the improved structure design along the White Mountain National Forest portion of the route, enabling the project to reduce structure heights to approximately 85 feet, with no expansion of the existing right of way. Additionally, structures along the new right-of-way portion of the route will also be approximately 85 feet.

We are appreciative of the positive support we have received from all across the state, and are very proud to have the full endorsement of the two largest Chambers of Commerce in New Hampshire (Manchester and Nashua). Our recent jobs meetings in Coös County were an enormous success, and we look forward to resuming those meetings in the new year, along with informational outreach meetings across the state.

We are optimistic that our new routing proposal addresses the potential view shed and private property concerns that have been raised, and will enable us to move forward with the rigorous state and federal permitting processes. Those proceedings will serve as inclusive forums for the continued evolution of the project, providing a true measure and analysis of the benefits and impacts of the Northern Pass, as well as the opportunity for project improvements to be recommended and incorporated.

The third issue of The Northern Pass – Landowner Newsletter was distributed to property owners on or about March 30.
The issue focuses on the role of transmission and the unique and important habitat that transmission corridors provide.

The Northern Pass is working successfully, as requested by the Legislature, to acquire, voluntarily, the land rights necessary for construction of the project.

The project currently has property rights to the vast majority of the land necessary for building the transmission line within existing rights of way; and, we are working successfully with property owners to purchase land or easements to develop an acceptable route in that area of the North Country where there is no existing transmission right of way.

Contrary to claims by some project opponents, the Northern Pass project is not predicated on the use of eminent domain.

The use of eminent domain for utility purposes is an extremely rare occurrence in New Hampshire, and we believe that existing State law is sufficient protection for property owners.

We are reviewing the amendment passed today by the NH Senate and what impact, if any, it may have on the project if enacted. Our initial review of the amendment suggests that:

The Forrester/Bragdon amendment appears to allow FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) and ISO-New England policy—not New Hampshire—to dictate the use of eminent domain on transmission projects.

Our understanding is that this FERC policy hasn’t been determined yet, and we look forward to working with federal and regional regulators on development of a policy that fully considers projects like Northern Pass, and we are confident that given the reliability, low cost, and environmental benefits that this project provides we will be able to develop structure that is conducive to the development of the project.

While we continue to analyze the amendment and it is considered by the House, our work on the project continues.